Double Trouble
by Opal12
Summary: Hanamichi meets an unexpected guest...and turns his world upside down! RuHana COMPLETE
1. The Unexpected Guest

Pairing: RuHana but also a little bit of SenHana.

Warning: Contains shonen-ai/slash. Nothing graphic though. Don't like it? Don't read.

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue.

Author's Notes: Hanamichi is already in his 3rd year. That means he's 17 and most of the characters in the series are in college so I won't bother much with them.

Please read and review!

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" The man in a white coat drummed his fingers nervously on a clipboard. He looked at the young man before him imploringly. He didn't really want him to go; he knew all hell would break loose if he went away, even for only a few days.

"Yes I am," came the dreaded reply.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. 'This boy is really stubborn,' he thought. He was about to say something more, but the young man was already gone.

A while later, the young man seemingly popped out of nowhere in an empty alley. He looked around and remembered that this was the alley beside the pachinko parlors. He grinned. He heard the voices of Yohei and his friends so he ducked behind the dumpsters. They were complaining about getting caught again by one of the guards.

"Think of it this way guys, we only have to wait one more year to be allowed inside," Yohei said, trying to cheer up the other three.

"That's still a long time! We would've gotten in if Hanamichi was here," groused Noma, kicking a can out of frustration.

Yohei smiled. "Well you know him. He's always busy nowadays."

"You should talk Yohei. You've been spending more time romancing your girlfriend than you do with us," piped in Ooksu. Takamiya and Noma guffawed.

Yohei blushed, but recovered quickly. He glared at them. "I do not!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say loverboy," said Takamiya. Noticing that Yohei was ready to pounce, he broke off into a run. Ooksu and Noma went after him, laughing their heads off. Yohei was not far behind, yelling obscenities.

Hearing the fading voices, the young man went out of his hiding spot and walked to Sakuragi Hanamichi's house. Fortunately, it wasn't very far. He looked around and felt memories wash over him. 'Good times,' he thought with a smile. He knew Hanamichi was still at school, having basketball practice. So he sat down on the porch, and waited for the redhead to come home.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Basketball practice was over and Hanamichi was bored. Life for him was getting terribly monotonous.

Sure, a lot of things had changed. Yohei was dating Haruko. He was now co-captain of the basketball team. He had a shinetai of his own, and girls were chasing him for once. His grades were laudable. And ever since he got over Haruko, he and Rukawa were actually civil to each other.

But he still didn't have a girlfriend and his guntai still teased him endlessly about it.

"Those bakas. They just have to rub it in, do they?" muttered Hanamichi to himself. "Just because I don't fancy any girl in school, that doesn't mean I'll be single forever. Maybe I'm just in a slump or something..."

The redhead was too preoccupied with his thoughts; he didn't notice the guy sitting on his porch.

"Hey Hanamichi," A familiar voice rang out.

Hanamichi snapped out of it and stared at the man smiling at him. His hair was red like his, only longer and almost touching his shoulders. He had well-defined muscles but lithe at the same time. And he was taller by 5 inches, almost as tall as Akagi.

After a few moments of gawking at the stranger, Hanamichi finally came to his senses.

"Who are you?"


	2. Revelations

Hanamichi was having a dream. He didn't remember any of it, just that there was someone with blue eyes and another man with red hair. Then he felt someone nudging him gently.

"Ugh...what?" he mumbled groggily and blinked a few times. A man was looking down at him. Then the events yesterday came back like a ton of bricks.

"Gyah!" yelled Hanamichi, now fully awake.

_Flashback_

"Who are you?"

The man smiled. "Aren't you going to invite me inside first?"

"Oh! Gomen." Hanamichi hurriedly fumbled in his bag and fished out his keys. Once inside the house, he started to ask questions again.

"Are you my cousin? I've never met any of my relatives before, besides my grandparents in my father's side that is. But they live at Hokkaido," babbled Hanamichi. The stranger ignored him, and went on walking around the house. 'This man sure is strange,' thought Hanamichi. It continued for a few more minutes. Then the man went back to the living room and promptly flopped down on the couch.

"Sorry about that. I just really missed being inside this house."

Hanamichi was really confused now. "How can that be? I've never met you before and this is the first time you've been here."

"Really now," said the man, a small smile playing on his lips. He looked at teenager expectantly, as if he should know that the answer already. "Still don't get it do you? Sit down."

Hanamichi frowned. He hated playing mind games, and this guy just told him to sit on his own couch, acting like he owned the place. But he complied nonetheless.

"Well?"

The man took a deep breath and said, "I'm you."

"Excuse me?" Hanamichi said incredulously. He didn't think he heard it properly.

"My name is Sakuragi Hanamichi. Except I'm from the future and ten years older," the man explained. He looked into Hanamichi's eyes, gauging his reaction.

Hanamichi didn't know whether to believe it or not. He was at loss for words.

"Look, I'm not pulling your leg. It's true."

Seeing the teenager was still not convinced, he got up and walked over to a table where all the pictures of the Sakuragi family were placed. He picked up Hanamichi's favorite picture, the one with him being carried by his mother and his father holding his hand. He traced a finger in the frame lovingly, a sad smile in his features.

"It doesn't really go away, does it?"

Hanamichi felt a stab of pain and loneliness in him. He understood and nodded. He looked at the older version of himself again and mentally berated himself. It was stupid of him not to notice that there was really not that much difference; only his features were sharper and his eyes were different, wiser. But they still held innocence and the spark of fire that he alone possessed.

"So…would you like something to drink?" said Hanamichi lamely. The older one shook his head.

"No thanks." A pause.

"Er, aren't you going to upset the whole space-time continuum by coming here?" asked Hanamichi nervously.

The older Hanamichi laughed all of a sudden, till tears came out of his eyes. It took a while before he fully composed himself. "No, that's ridiculous. You really can't believe what they say in movies, because most of them are just a load of bull. The past, present, and future is one straight line. What's going to happen will happen, and neither time-traveling will do anything to disrupt it." He grinned. "Kinda takes a load of your chest right?"

"Yeah," Hanamichi agreed, while shifting in his seat. He still didn't like the thought of people just popping out of nowhere though.

"But listen, don't tell anyone that I'm you. Makes things less complicated and saves me a lot of time answering questions," his older version continued. Hanamichi nodded. He didn't think the others would believe it anyway.

"So what name do you want me to call you? There can't be two Hanamichi's running around," said Hanamichi.

"You're right," the older Hanamichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about Alexi?"

"Uh, why Alexi?"

"Because it rhymes with Hanamichi! Great eh?" said Alexi happily.

'Now I know I'm going to grow up to be weird,' mused Hanamichi. He gave his older self a strained smile.

_End Flashback_

"Still in a bit of a shock I see," said Alexi. "Sorry about that. You better get ready; you don't want to spoil your perfect attendance record do you? I'll make breakfast." He got up and went downstairs. Hanamichi showered and dressed, still in a daze.

When he went down, he found himself, correction, _Alexi_, waiting for him. He stared at his breakfast, then back at Alexi. It just felt so…strange. 'This has got to be the weirdest morning of my life.' he thought. Alexi waved a hand across his face to get his attention.

"Come on, eat up. Your oatmeal is getting cold," wheedled Alexi. "Oh yeah, I'll be seeing you practice this afternoon ok? Just for old time's sake."

Hanamichi dropped his spoon. "What?"

"Now don't have a cow. Everything will be fine," Alexi winked, and sipped his coffee.

Hanamichi groaned. Now he wished his life was boring again.

* * *

About what Alexi said about time being a straight line and all that, I'm just making it up. I reckon Stephen Hawkins will have a heart attack if he reads this. :)


	3. In Denial

Thank you for all those who reviewed! Namely Hal, Keax, Umi Natsuko, and Reikou.

* * *

"SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!"

The said redhead snapped from his stupor and looked up. He saw his sensei fuming and banging his pointing stick at his desk loudly. Apparently he was being asked a question, but his mind was totally blank.

"Gomen. I don't know sensei," muttered Hanamichi. Everyone in the room gasped, even Rukawa woke up and stared at him. Usually he knew all the answers.

His teacher sighed and said, "This is a warning alright? Don't let it happen again." He then focused on another poor student to harass.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?" said Yohei after the teacher turned his back to write something on the board.

"Nothing," replied Hanamichi absentmindedly and stared into space again. Yohei wasn't convinced. Something was definitely up.

Then the bell rang, signaling it was lunch time. All of his classmates practically ran out of the classroom, except Hanamichi and Rukawa. Yohei wanted to stay behind, but the guntai dragged him out before all the good seats at the cafeteria were taken.

Rukawa walked over to Hanamichi's desk, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey. Didn't you hear the lunch bell?"

"Oh. Right."

The two walked to the cafeteria in a companionable silence. Takamiya waved them over at the middle, where the rest of the gang was sitting. As soon as they were at their table, a mob of girls surrounded them.

"Rukawa-kun! I made lunch for you today!" squealed one of them, and shoved what looked like a sandwich under Rukawa's nose. The others followed suit, until there was a tottering mountain of food. In front of him, Hanamichi also had a similar pile.

"I love having the two of you around. At least we don't have to put up with the crap they serve here," said Noma, chewing on a meat bun. Meanwhile, Ooksu and Takamiya were grinning cheekily at some girls. They were oblivious to all the dirty glares sent their way by said females.

Hanamichi was searching for a particular item. After a few minutes, he gave up. "They didn't give me any chocolate pudding today," the redhead announced petulantly.

Rukawa rummaged through his pile, found one, and promptly gave it to the redhead.

"I thought chocolate pudding was your favorite," commented Yohei, grinning. He knew the kitsune didn't like to share that particular dessert, but for Hanamichi he always made an exception.

"Thanks!" the redhead said, brightening up considerably. Rukawa gave a careless shrug, but Yohei knew the pale Shohoku captain was pleased that he made Hanamichi happy.

Too soon, the bell rang again and they had to go back to class. Hanamichi again was a nervous wreck. Not long after, he was walking towards the gym.

"Please, please, please, I hope I forget, I mean HE forgets to come," muttered Hanamichi under his breath.

"Do you mean me?" piped in a voice happily. Hanamichi gave a startled yelp.

"Stop that! Do you go slinking around and scaring people?"

"No, but living with the kitsu… er, I mean kittens kind of rubs off on you," replied Alexi. He almost slipped there.

Hanamichi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He stared at Alexi for a minute. "You're keeping something from me aren't you?" he said finally.

"No I'm not," said Alexi, hardly flinching from Hanamichi's close scrutiny. "You're being mean to me. I'm supposed to be your guest." He gave a pout.

Hanamichi almost exploded, but faltered. He didn't really want to argue anymore with himself. "Fine! But we are going to have a long talk after this!" He stomped off.

'Now what's up with him?' thought Rukawa. Hanamichi was obviously in a foul mood, with him growling at the terrified first years. He walked over to calm his co-captain. Then he noticed another redhead standing nearby, looking amused. Rukawa stared. Alexi noticed, and gave Hanamichi a nudge.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends Hana-kun?" Hanamichi gave him another glare and blatantly ignored him. Seeing his younger self was not going to cooperate, he settled in giving his most charming smile to everyone.

"Hello minna-san! I'm a cousin of Hanimichi, and my name is Alexi. Don't mind me, I'm just here to watch you guys," he said, looking directly at Rukawa. He thought he saw the pale boy's cheeks redden a little from his gaze. Several girls from Rukawa and Hanamichi's shinetai swooned. His grin widened. He loved getting that kind of reaction from people.

"Nice to meet you Alexi-kun," murmured Haruko shyly. Even she was not immune to the newcomer. She gasped when Alexi took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Akagi Haruko…Hanamichi told me so much about you," Alexi all but purred when he said the last part. Haruko giggled and blushed, while the two shinetais huffed in irritation.

Yohei was getting suspicious. There was something very familiar about this whole situation. He noticed Rukawa seething, but it was nothing compared to Hanamichi's.

"That's enough! We're going home!" yelled Hanamich all of a sudden. He dragged Alexi by the arm and out of the gym. "Practice is over." he added, without a backward glance. Chaos and confusion followed. That was the first time Hanamichi ever cancelled basketball practice. It was not like him at all.

Yohei ran after the two, determined to get some answers.

* * *

"What the hell just happened? And how come there are two of you?" panted Yohei, holding a stitch at his side. Hanamichi slowed his walk and gaped at him.

"How did you know?"

Yohei waved a hand dismissively. "Please. I'd know even if you came out of the future a geriatric." He shrugged. "Besides, you're the only guy I know bold enough to flirt with Haruko."

"Sharp as a tack, as always," Alexi said proudly, patting his buddy on the back. Then Yohei rounded on him.

"But," said the shorter boy seriously, "best friend or not, pull that stunt again I'll tear you out a new one. Got it?"

Alexi looked affronted. "But I was only having a little fun." He gave the two an innocent look, but failed miserably.

"Don't even think about it," theatened Hanamichi. Alexi just laughed.

"Hanamichi, I don't know what happened to your older self but why the heck is he flirting all over the place? He's almost as bad as Sendoh," whispered Yohei.

"Hello guys, I am not going to pretend that I can't hear you," interjected Alexi. "Maybe because for 17 long years I still didn't have a significant other whatsoever? I'm just making up for lost time." He gave his younger self a pointed look.

"Hey, don't blame it all on me," said Hanamichi sourly.

Yohei shook his head. "This is just too weird." He remembered something suddenly and winced. He was supposed to meet Haruko after the so-called practice. "Sorry you two but I have to go," he said apologetically.

"Sure Yohei," Alexi smirked. "Don't let us keep you from your girl."

"You better keep your older self on a tight leash. Who knows what havoc he will cause," Yohei gave Alexi a glare and set off.

* * *

_Sakuragi Residence_

Hanamichi promptly sat down on the couch, feeling immensely tired. He was about to doze off when the doorbell rang. He was sorely tempted to tell whoever it was to go jump off a cliff, but it was Rukawa.

"Why did you cancel practice?" said Rukawa, without much preamble.

"Well hello to you too," replied Hanamichi sarcastically. "I just felt like it," he added, jutting his chin out in defiance.

"Is your cousin here?" asked Rukawa out of the blue. Hanamichi was surprised, but quickly recovered himself.

"Why are you asking?"

Rukawa shrugged and tried to get in. Hanamichi, however, deftly blocked his way.

"Aren't you going to invite me inside?" said Rukawa, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"What for?"

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition? I just want to know him better, that's all," replied Rukawa. Hanamichi looked at him incredulously. Seeing the redhead disconcerted, he stepped inside. He found the other redhead watching tv. For some unknown reason, Alexi knew that Rukawa was there. He looked up and smiled at the younger boy.

"Hello Kaede," said Alexi warmly. Rukawa felt a blush coming again.

'Damn it, control yourself,' thought Rukawa. But he couldn't help it.

Hanamichi watched the exchange between the two, totally bewildered. He realized that Rukawa was ogling at his older self. He felt dizzy all of a sudden.

Rukawa. Ogling. At. Alexi. At. Me.

'Wait a minute. WHAT?'

Too much information. His brain was going to be fried any second now because all the logic in it went flying out the window. It did the only thing it knew how to do in a situation like this: it completely shut down. He didn't remember going up to his room. And promptly falling asleep after that.

He absolutely DID NOT want to think about it.

* * *

Poor Hana….if all fails, just sleep I always say. lol. There's going to be more Rukawa in the next chapter. And Sendoh too.

Please REVIEW!


	4. Sweet Dreams

Thank you for all those who reviewed! Namely Reikou, Sana, Hana Rui, toon, Simone, and Umi Natsuko.

To Sana: Your comment cheered me up a lot. You rock!

To toon: Don't worry, I never write tragedy. Please don't kill me…lol. As for the uke, you just have to judge it yourself. Sorry, I'm still not finished with this fic. I'm just making it up as I go along.

Since you all want a longer chapter, here it is! Hope you like it.

* * *

'Okay he's asleep. Now is my chance.'

Hanamichi quietly tiptoed down the stairs. He then made a mad dash for freedom, careful not to make any noise. "I can't believe I'm sneaking out of my own house," he muttered. He was supposed to meet Sendoh for a one-on-one. He got out and locked the door.

"Well that was eas…," Hanamichi stopped short. Alexi was already waiting for him outside, tapping his foot impatiently.

"What took you so long? "

Hanamichi groaned. "Why do you insist in coming with me all the time?" It was only 8 o'clock in the morning and already he felt a headache coming. Alexi frowned.

"Don't you like the pleasure of your own company?"

Hanamichi snorted in response. Alexi chuckled.

"I'm guessing that's a no then."

"Look," said Hanamichi testily, "you've been making my life a living hell for two days and I still have no clue why you're here in the first place."

Alexi just looked at him blankly. Hanamichi went on.

"I think you came here because you're avoiding something…why else would you go through all this trouble? Sure, people take a trip down memory lane once in a while but not literally!" exclaimed the younger redhead.

Alexi's expression darkened. Obviously Hanamichi had hit a nerve.

"Oh so now you're the great mind reader," replied Alexi icily. "Trust me, you don't want to know." He looked genuinely upset.

Hanamichi suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry... I just wish you would tell me. Maybe I could help," he said softly.

"I know you mean well. I just need some space to think about certain things, that's all," Alexi said, giving his younger self a sad smile.

Hanamichi nodded. Whatever it was, it must be pretty horrible for his future self to be so tight-lipped about it. The redhead couldn't help but feel worried.

Alexi noted Hanamichi's anxious face. "Don't worry. It's not that big of a deal," the older redhead said simply. That seemed to soothe Hanamichi a bit. Alexi good-naturedly clapped him in the back. "So we're cool then?"

"Yeah," said Hanamichi, smiling a little. At least that was taken care of. But Alexi made a mistake of opening his mouth again.

"By the way, want to know what happened with me and Rukawa last night?" said Alexi, grinning. Hanamichi blanched.

"No thanks."

"He's a pretty nice guy once you really get to know him," Alexi continued, much to Hanamichi's discomfort.

"You don't say," said Hanamichi distractedly. He dreaded where the conversation was going. He quickened his pace, eager to play with Sendoh. Alexi immediately noticed.

"What are you afraid of anyway?" Alexi called after him.

Hanamichi pretended not to hear. He spotted Sendoh already doing some lay-ups, much to his relief. "Hey Akira!" he chirped, a little too enthusiastically.

"I can't believe I got here earlier," said Sendoh smugly. "My chronic lateness must be rubbing off on you."

Hanamichi rolled his eyes. "Got a little sidetracked. Besides, it's the first time I've been late and…"

Sendoh cut him off when he saw the other redhead walking up to them.

"I believe we haven't met before?" said Sendoh, instantly turning on the charm.

Alexi extended a hand. Sendoh shook it, and took more time holding it than necessary.

"I'm Alexi Sakuragi. So you're the player my cousin told me so much about," said Alexi. Sendoh beamed.

"Charmed. Would you excuse us for a moment?" said Sendoh. He grabbed Hanamichi and dragged him to the far side of the court, out of Alexi's hearing range. He gave Hanamichi an accusing glare.

"You dog! How come you never told me you have a hot stud for a cousin?" hissed Sendoh. He stole another appraising glance at Alexi. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"What? I thought you're straight!" squeaked Hanamichi.

"Not anymore. He can make any guy swing the other way. I think I'm in love!" replied Ryonan's ace happily.

Hanamichi tugged at his collar, feeling heat rise from his neck to his cheeks. He didn't think Alexi, correction, himself_ that_ attractive. He didn't understand why people were overreacting so much. He decided to nip the situation in the bud.

"Are you insane? You only met the guy for 5 seconds! You wouldn't know about love even if it danced the tango in front of you!" Hanamichi yelled. He wanted to strangle the grinning baka in front of him.

"You think I have a chance with him then?" asked Sendoh eagerly. Hanamichi threw his hands up in frustration.

"Are we going to play or will Alexi and I just go home?"

"No!" said Sendoh, panicking. He threw the ball to Hanamichi. "You're such a spoilsport."

"Good," said Hanamichi. He started to dribble the ball. Without warning, he made a three-point shot. He frowned. Usually it took longer for him to get through Sendoh's defenses. He looked at the spiky-haired ace. Sendoh was just standing there, staring at Alexi.

"Akira! You're not paying attention!" he hollered.

In the background, Alexi was laughing. It only irked Hanamichi further. He picked up the ball again and threw it straight to Sendoh. The ace didn't know what hit him.

"Ooooow," mumbled Sendoh, rubbing his sore behind. Alexi helped him up.

"Now now Hana-kun, don't be mean," said Alexi, wagging a finger at his younger self.

"You go play with him then," Hanamichi retorted sulkily.

Sendoh looked like Christmas had come early. "Really?"

"Sure. Best 3 out of 5?" said Alexi.

Ten minutes later….

"That was some game," panted Sendoh. "You're the first one to beat me in a one-on-one four times in a row."

"Damn right he did," said Hanamichi triumphantly. He couldn't help but be proud. He knew all that hard training would someday pay off, and Alexi just showed him how good he could be.

"Of course. I'm the tensai," replied Alexi, smirking.

"So tensai, since you won how about I take you out for dinner tonight?" said Sendoh, in flirt-mode again.

"HELL NO!" Hanamichi looked at Alexi imploringly. 'Kami, in all that is sane and good, please say no…'

"I'd love to," answered Alexi without hesitation.

"I'll pick you up at 8 then," said Sendoh, winking.

* * *

_Yeah, you do you do...  
You make me want you  
Oh you do you do...  
I want you  
And I can't get enough_

_Oh I can't get enough_

Rukawa hummed through the song, obviously in a very good mood. In fact, he felt exhilarated. Ever since he met Alexi, he couldn't stop thinking about him.

'Maybe it's just a crazy infatuation…,' he mused. While Alexi clearly showed Rukawa that he was interested, Hanamichi treated him the same way he did to everybody else. 'Heck, he pays even more attention to his homework than me,' he thought ruefully. He rang the doorbell.

"Oh it's you. Looking for my cousin again eh?" said Hanamichi in clipped tones.

"I was wondering if you and Alexi would like to go watch a movie," Rukawa said defensively.

Hanamichi's expression softened. "Well you just missed him. He went out with Sendoh to some fancy French restaurant," replied the redhead. He then continued reading his history book, completely snubbing Rukawa.

Rukawa brows furrowed. 'I suppose I should go after them, but what about Hanamichi?' he pondered. He gazed at the gloomy redhead.

"You're actually studying on a Saturday night?" he asked, amused and skeptical at the same time.

Hanamichi didn't look up. "We're going to have a long exam this week," he said simply.

"Remind me to take you out more," sighed Rukawa. Hanamichi blushed. "Look, unless you want to spend your whole night moping…"

"I'm not moping!"

"You certainly don't look like you're enjoying being stuck here alone. So you might as well come with me," stated Rukawa in manner that brooked no argument.

"Oh no you don't. You're planning to crash Alexi's date," said Hanamichi accusingly. He wouldn't go near those two bakas if he can help it.

"Please?" Rukawa gave his best wounded puppy look. Hanamichi still didn't budge.

"They have tasty chocolate desserts there," he cajoled once more.

Hanamichi perked up. "Why didn't you say so?"

Rukawa grinned.

* * *

They arrived at Petit Paris in record time. Hanamichi was thankful to get out of Rukawa's car; he nearly had a heart attack with the other boy's reckless driving.

"I am never going to ride with you again," he groused, as they entered the restaurant.

"It wasn't that bad," Rukawa argued.

"Not bad? You make drag racing look mild," said Hanamichi testily.

Rukawa ignored him. He made a beeline for to the booth where Alexi and Sendoh were sitting.

"Hey it's Kaede and Hana. Fancy meeting you guys here," greeted Alexi. Sendoh didn't look too happy.

"Hello," said Rukawa awkwardly.

"You may join us if you want," said Alexi, patting the space beside him. Hanamichi was there in an instant, which left Rukawa to sit beside Sendoh.

'Goddamnit, why do I have to sit with _him?' _seethed Rukawa. He scowled at Sendoh, hoping he would take the hint and just go away.

"I'm not pleased with the seating arrangement either," muttered Sendoh under his breath. He wanted to glare back, but the sight before him made him forget everything all of a sudden.

Both redheads were wiping their utensils with their napkin. It seemed like a normal gesture but the way they moved was almost identical, so much that it was a bit disconcerting. Sendoh threw Hanamichi a confused look.

"Are you sure you guys are not brothers?"

Hanamichi paled.

"No, what makes you say that?" said Alexi, unfazed.

"Nothing." Sendoh had the grace to look embarrassed. Thankfully the waiter came and took their orders.

"What's your best wine in the house?" Alexi asked, while handing back the menu.

"That would be Pinot Noir monsieur," replied the waiter crisply.

"Excellent. I would like it to be served now, if you please," Alexi said smoothly. The waiter nodded and came back with the bottle few minutes later.

"Do you want some wine Akira?"

"Uh," mumbled said ace. He looked at the bottle with apprehension.

"I'd like some," piped in Hanamichi.

"You're not legal yet. I don't want to be a bad influence," Alexi said, pretending to be stern.

"And what you're doing right now isn't," retorted Hanamichi caustically. Alexi chuckled.

"So how about it?" asked Alexi again, watching Sendoh expectantly. Suddenly everyone's attention was solely focused on the Ryonan captain. Hanamichi stared at him sulkily, while Rukawa gave his best Dirty Harry glare that could put Clint Eastwood to shame.

Sendoh shrugged. 'What could happen?' he thought. "Sure." Alexi promptly handed him a glass. It burned his throat and made his eyes water. He gave a strained smile. "Tastes good," he rasped. Alexi grinned.

Then Rukawa spoke. "Are you from America Alexi? What state are you from?"

"Eh?" croaked Alexi, a tad surprised. He wasn't expecting this kind of question.

Hanamichi tried to stifle a laugh. 'Try to get out of this one bucko,' he thought evilly.

"I'm from er," Alexi hesitated for a second. 'Come on! Think! There's fifty of them, for Pete's sake!' "Texas! Uh yeah," he said uncertainly.

Hanamichi decided to add his two cents in. "Funny, you don't seem to have a Texan accent, my dear cousin," he said sweetly.

"You lose it when you get older," replied Alexi hurriedly. He glared at Hanamichi, who was laughing his head off. Rukawa and Sendoh, however, were confused as hell.

"Never heard that before," gasped Hanamichi. "Kami, you crack me up."

He noticed Rukawa and Sendoh staring at him like he had gone mad.

"What? It's a joke between us," he said innocently. He winced as Alexi stomped on his foot.

"That's not funny. You're going to blow our cover!" whispered Alexi furiously.

"Just giving you a taste of your own medicine," whispered Hanamichi back. "Besides, it's so obvious you've never been there," he pointed out. His older self looked like he was capable of homicide that moment.

"Ok ok, I'll stop. Geez, how come you're the only one allowed to play mind games here?" Hanamichi whined.

"Because I'm older and more mature," Alexi stated. Hanamichi seriously doubted the mature part. "So just shut up and let me do the talking here."

A pause.

"Sooo…where were we again?" said Alexi with a smile, as if the verbal sparring never happened.

"Texas?" said Rukawa helpfully.

"Right. Yeah, lots of cows and cowboys and such," said Alexi, on a roll now. "Pretty boring place, so I'm visiting Hana-kun here."

Hanamichi rolled his eyes. 'Hmpf. Until now I still suck at fibbing. Only a total idiot would believe that,' he thought. 'But then again…,' He glanced at the two in front of him. Sendoh and Rukawa, apparently, were fascinated by whatever nonsense Alexi was saying. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his dumb luck.

Luckily their food came. Nobody said much after that.

* * *

Halfway through dessert….

More wine please," hiccuped Sendoh, his face getting redder by the minute. Gone was his cool and suave self.

"I think you had enough Akira," said Alexi gently.

"Smooth move man, he's totally wasted," said Hanamichi, while eating his chocolate crepe.

Rukawa scooted as far away from Sendoh as possible. "He looks like he's going to be sick or something."

"We better get him home then," said Alexi, motioning for the check. "Akira, do you want me to help you?" he asked concernedly.

"I'm fine. I'm completely damn sober!" Sendoh said, a little bit loud.

"Do'aho."

Sendoh rose unsteadily to his feet. He wobbled a few times but managed to exit the place without hitting anything. Then he slipped and landed on his butt the second time that day.

"Is it me or is everything spinning?" slurred Sendoh. "Alexi…you look a little green…maybe you're drunk," he said, talking to a potted plant.

'I wish I had a camera,' thought Rukawa and Hanamichi simultaneously. Both of them snickered.

Alexi helped Sendoh up. "Akira, where are your keys?" he said, patting the younger boy's pockets.

"Woah it's only our first date and you're already copping a feel," Sendoh grinned at Alexi stupidly. "I like it."

It took all of Rukawa's self-control not to punch the inebriated ace after making that lewd comment. No sense beating someone up who was piss drunk. 'Note to self: Kick Sendoh's ass when he is sober.' he thought.

"How you can still flirt at your condition amazes me," said Alexi, slipping his arm around Sendoh's waist. "A little help here?"

Hanamichi sighed, and fished out Sendoh's car keys without difficulty. Alexi carefully placed Sendoh in the backseat and secured his seatbelt.

"I'll drive him home," said Alexi, getting into the car. "Sorry about this you guys," he added, and drove off.

'That do'aho. He's milking it for all his worth,' thought Rukawa tersely.

"Let's go Kaede, it's already late," mumbled Hanamichi, snapping Rukawa out of his reverie. He nodded.

* * *

The drive home was unbearable. Rukawa was speeding now at a snail's pace and the silence was driving Hanamchi nuts. 'I bet we're only a little faster than molasses at this point,' he mused.

"Hanamichi, I've been meaning to tell you something," said Rukawa out of the blue. The redhead immediately noticed he was nervous.

Uh-oh. Alarm bells started going off at Hanamichi's head.

'Gah. I not ready for this yet. Not now! Must distract him…,'

"Is it about the upcoming game?" he asked, knowing full well it wasn't the topic Rukawa had in mind.

It worked. Rukawa shook his head in defeat. "Forget about it," he said quietly. He parked the car and let the redhead out.

"Thanks," muttered Hanamichi. "Good night then."

Rukawa didn't even look at him. "Good night Hana. Sweet dreams." He then gunned the engine and took off.

Hanamichi sadly watched him go. "Sweet dreams Kaede," he whispered, as he watched his co-captain's car turn around a corner and disappear.

* * *

Author's Notes: If you're wondering what is real legal age in Japan, it's 20. I just made it to 18 to accommodate the fic. As for the Sendoh fans, I'm sorry for getting him into all kinds of trouble.

And oh yeah, why out of the 50 did I choose the Lone Star state? Because I was listening to a Bowling for Soup song titled Ohio, which is a song about Texas while writing this fic. Weird huh?

Please review!


	5. Going Home

Thank you for those who reviewed! Namely Umi Natsuko, mootixguy, Hana Rui and zagato.

* * *

_10 years in the future…_

"Leave me alone! I don't know where he is!" Rukawa bellowed as he got out of his car. "I'm going to call the police if you don't get off my property right now!" he threatened.

Normally Kaede Rukawa didn't yell. He never needed to. Usually he just gave the paparazzi his patented Glare of Doom that never failed to send them running. But ever since the do'aho disappeared, all hell had broken loose. The press was having a field day and the public was just lapping it up. Rumors were flying everywhere. Gossips ranged from the redhead being kidnapped by terrorists, or he eloped with a Swedish model, or he simply went underground, hiding with Elvis. With Hanamichi behaving erratically nowadays, Rukawa would not be surprised if any of those insane theories proved to be true.

He shoved away the microphones and cameras being pointed at him, and valiantly tried to get in his house. It took all of his strength to shut the front door, muffling the din happening outside.

Instantly his phone started ringing. It didn't stop and it grated on Rukawa's nerves to no end. He violently yanked the cord off, as if it did him a great offense. Shortly after his mobile started ringing too. It was Sendoh.

"Where is he?!" the ace of Ryonan shouted. "What have you done to him? How come you didn't tell me he was missing?" he continued, firing off questions like a machine gun.

"Urusai," replied Rukawa monotonously.

"Don't tell me to shut up! This is all your fault, you pushed him away!" screamed Sendoh louder.

"I think I know how to handle Hanamichi thank you very much," said Rukawa coldly.

Sendoh snorted. "You call this handling it well?" he retorted, sarcasm dripping in every syllable. That did it for Rukawa.

"I'm taking no more of your lip Sendoh!" roared Rukawa into the phone, finally exploding. "This is between me and Hanamichi and I don't need you or anybody nosing around in my business!"

Both were quiet for a while after Rukawa's outburst. Then Sendoh spoke again.

"So…is he breaking up with you then?" asked the ace hopefully.

Rukawa hung up. One scream fest with Sendoh was enough.

Where could Hanamichi gone off to? Just thinking about it gave him a migraine. He switched the television on to distract him. He flipped through the channels quickly, not really watching anything. Then one advertisement caught his attention.

"Do you sometimes feel like you need to get away from it all? Forget the Bahamas or the Alps. Time-travel! Get to see up close the Stone Age. Witness Woodstock. Go back to the medieval era and see real heads roll! Anywhere in time, we'll get you there!"

Rukawa's eyes widened in disbelief. Hana didn't go back in time, did he?

He looked inside their bedside drawer. The redhead's passport was still there. He didn't go out of the country after all.

Rukawa grabbed his keys, his face set.

'Wait for me Hana. I'm coming for you.'

* * *

_Sakuragi Residence…10 years in the past…_

"Pardon me for saying this, but you look like shit. What's up?"

Hanamichi scowled. He was up all night thinking about Rukawa, and how everything spiraled out of control since Alexi came along. True, he felt like crap but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Other than I just found out two guys are fighting over me and my older self got one of them wasted, I'm just peachy," he groused.

"That's nice. Want some coffee?" replied Alexi, not listening at all.

Hanamichi sighed. "I wonder if Sendoh's alright."

"He's probably praying to the porcelain god by now," snickered Alexi. Somewhere in Kanagawa, the ace of Ryonan sneezed.

'Ow. Why does my butt hurt?' (Opal12: Get yer minds off the gutter guys. lol) thought Sendoh groggily. His mouth felt like it was filled with sand and his stomach was doing cartwheels. He didn't remember any of the events last night.

'I think I'm going to be sick.'

And with that, he ran towards the bathroom. I looked like he wasn't going to come out for a long time.

Realization dawned on Hanamichi. "You got him drunk on purpose!"

Alexi grinned. "Well yeah. He always drinks me under the table, so I figured I'd get my revenge while he's still not that much of a booze hound." He shrugged.

"Isn't it the other way around, since you tanked him 10 years before?"

"Hmm, you got a point there," said Alexi thoughtfully. "But you got to admit it was funny right?" He started laughing his head off.

"Kami, I'm going to grow up with a warped sense of humor," muttered the younger redhead, rubbing his temples.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Could you get that please?" said Alexi distractedly. He was in the process of making pancakes. Hanamichi got up and went to the door. He gave a strangled squeak. The older Rukawa was there, taller and more imposing than ever. The poor redhead nearly hyperventilated.

"Who is it?" Alexi called out from the kitchen. Hanamichi didn't reply.

"Try a very furious Kaede," growled Rukawa. They heard a loud bang and muttered curses. A flustered Alexi came out.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"What the hell does it look like? I'm taking you home," retorted Rukawa.

"What makes you think I want to come home? With you of all people?" demanded Alexi. He looked at the newcomer defiantly.

"Do'aho! Do I have to drag you with me? We have a major game tomorrow!" Rukawa yelled, enraged.

"It's all about the game to you! You don't care about me at all!" screamed Alexi back. He was shaking with anger.

Rukawa was no different. "Don't give me that excuse! Didn't you think for one second that I'd be worried sick? Why are you doing this?"

The two at that moment looked like they were going to do a royal rumble in the middle of Hanamichi's living room. The younger redhead was suddenly suffused with the urge to hide somewhere. He grabbed a throw pillow for protection, just in case they start to hurl stuff at each other.

Then the doorbell rang. Again.

Hanamichi peeked out between the curtains. He saw the younger Rukawa standing outside.

"Oh this just gets better and better. The other Kaede's here. Why don't we have a nice picnic while we're at it?" he said sarcastically.

Alexi and the older Rukawa just gaped at him.

"What are you doing? Quick! Behind the couch, now!" barked Hanamichi.

Once the two were hidden, he opened the door.

"Hey Kaede. You're up early." Hanamichi said casually, as if two basketball players weren't currently hiding behind his furniture.

Rukawa took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something."

Hanamichi cocked an eyebrow. 'Damn, he's doing it again,' he thought. He felt guilty putting off Rukawa like this, but he needed to straighten the mess between their future selves before handling this one.

"You really have a knack for bad timing you know that?"

Rukawa shot him a confused look. "What?"

"Never mind. Listen, I'm hankering for tapioca ice cream. There's a store selling it three miles from here. Can you buy that for me?" Hanamichi said, while giving his most captivating smile.

"Ice cream? Three miles?" Rukawa repeated, a little dazed. Whenever the redhead smiled like that, everything seemed so unimportant. "Ok." He got on his bike and pedaled off, wearing a goofy look on his face.

Hanamichi grinned and went back inside.

"He's gone now," he announced. Alexi and future Rukawa got out, both looking very disgruntled.

"Now would you two tell me what's going on? You guys are fighting like an old couple or something." Hanamichi joked, hoping to lighten the situation.

Alexi coughed, while Rukawa shuffled his feet.

"Ah...funny you should say that…," stammered Alexi. "Well, uh, you see…"

Rukawa cut in. "What do you think of marriage Hanamichi?"

The younger redhead was taken aback. No one had asked him this kind of question before.

"I'm only 17. I'm not supposed to be thinking about that yet," he replied. He gave the two a curious look. Then he spotted the identical rings on their fingers. He gave a start.

"YOU TWO ARE MARRIED?!" he screeched. He leaned on a chair for support. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Alexi was apologetic. "I'm sorry. I should've told you earlier, but I thought it was better for you not to know. I didn't expect Kaede to come here." He gave Rukawa a glare. "Thanks a lot."

Rukawa snorted. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't leave in the first place. Do'aho."

"Teme!"

Hanamichi was on the verge of tearing his hair out of frustration. "Guys, would you stop arguing for just five seconds? If anybody here has the right to be upset, it's me. You just barged in here and dumped your marital troubles on my lap. What is wrong with you two?"

Alexi and the older Rukawa just kept their mouths shut, too incensed to say anything. Seeing he wasn't going to get any answers, he continued his tirade. "And for the record, I don't appreciate knowing that my marriage is on the rocks. You two better make up or I will be mighty pissed," he threatened.

A pause.

"I don't believe this," muttered Hanamichi. He needed to solve this problem before the other Rukawa comes back. He started to pace back and forth. He pondered on it for a few more minutes.

"Now I know what's going on," he exclaimed all of a sudden. "Kami, why didn't I see this before?"

"What?" said Alexi and Rukawa simultaneously.

Hanamichi gave future Rukawa a hard gaze. "My older self wouldn't go through time and space just because of a little tiff with you Kaede. If I didn't know any better, this has been going on since forever."

"I don't know what you mean," mumbled Rukawa, looking away. That earned him a hard bonk in the head, courtesy of Alexi.

"Kaede…," said Alexi and Hanamichi dangerously.

"Fine. I admit that I haven't been paying much attention to you lately. I'm really, really sorry. Happy now?" murmured Rukawa.

Alexi's eyes were wet. "Sometimes I feel you love your career more than me." Rukawa just looked at the crying redhead helplessly.

Hanamichi rolled his eyes. "You guys have serious communication issues."

"I'm not the only one at fault here. I was only gone for one day and you ran off. You didn't even leave a note or anything," said Rukawa, looking hurt.

"Like you care where I go," huffed Alexi, his tone cold.

Hanamichi held up a hand. "Hold on. I hate to say this, but Kaede's right. Why didn't you just confront him about it? You just don't run away… from your problems like that…," he trailed off. Then he remembered how he treated the younger Rukawa for the past few days. Come to think of it, their one-sided relationship had been going on since forever too. The small smiles, the furtive glances, all those little things he took for granted for the past two years. He suddenly felt ashamed.

Seeing the younger redhead in distress, future Rukawa got up from the couch and gave him a hug.

"It's ok Hanamichi. Don't beat yourself up over it," said Rukawa softly. He touched Hanamichi's face, his eyes full of concern. "You're just confused with all of this, that's all."

A few days ago Hanamichi would've freaked out if Kaede hugged him. But now…it was different. "How can you put up with me all this time?" he mumbled.

"I just do," replied Rukawa, letting him go. Hanamichi gave a small sound of protest. The older man chuckled and wrapped his arms around the redhead again.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

The younger Rukawa was currently ignoring all the traffic rules, a melting tub of ice cream in hand. He had been doing that a lot lately, whenever a certain redhead was involved.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? King of the road?" yelled a truck driver angrily. He nearly ran over the pale teenager, but the boy didn't care. Numerous honking and cussing from other motorists followed.

Rukawa gritted his teeth and pedaled faster. He planned to say his heartfelt confession this morning (since he chickened out last night) but got dumped with the duty of delivering dessert instead. He didn't know why the heck he agreed to do this. 'Damn that smile of his…making me forget everything.'

He gave a sigh of relief as Hanamichi's house came into view. He got off his bike and almost rang the bell, but stopped when heard the conversation inside. Curiosity getting the better of him, he put his ear by the door and listened closely.

"Look, I know that I'm a coldhearted jerk. But I'd rather give up basketball for good than you walking out of my life," said a voice.

Younger Rukawa's throat went dry all of a sudden. That wasn't Alexi or Hanamichi. Someone else was in there, and Kaede didn't like what the guy was saying at all. He wanted to go inside, but his legs wouldn't budge.

"Please come back Hanamichi. You mean everything to me," said the voice again, pleading this time. The younger Rukawa couldn't help but feel pity for that person, whoever he was.

Hanamichi piped in. "I'd give him a chance. We didn't exactly give him an easy time either." He gave his older self a meaningful look. Alexi nodded.

"I apologize for leaving too. I should've been more understanding," said Alexi, totally repentant. He took his husband's hand and gave it a squeeze. It wasn't long before the two were smiling again.

"So you guys are alright now huh? Geez, marriage is not all that it's cracked up to be," Hanamichi remarked.

Alexi shrugged. "We try. Thanks for clearing us up." He gave a mischievous grin. "I hope we didn't shock you too much."

"After this I don't think anything can surprise me anymore," replied Hanamichi dryly.

Rukawa hugged Hanamichi again. "I guess we should be leaving then. Don't I get a goodbye kiss?"

Hanamichi blushed. "Shame on you, hitting on minor," he muttered.

Future Rukawa chuckled and gave Hanamichi a peck on the cheek. Just that moment the other Rukawa came in and saw the whole thing. The tub of ice cream fell on the floor with a thud, and he was out of sight before Hanamichi even realized what had happened.

"You're right. I do have a knack for bad timing," observed the older Rukawa, as if there was nothing wrong.

Hanamichi groaned. "I wish this day would end already. Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't worry. I know you'll make everything right again," replied older Rukawa nonchalantly. He turned to his husband. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Bye Hana. You take care of yourself alright? And don't play one-on-one with Sendoh anymore. I forbid it. You hear me?" said older Rukawa sternly. Alexi chuckled.

"You're not the boss of me kitsu..." argued Hanamichi. He didn't even get to finish his sentence because the next second the two were already gone.


	6. No More Monotony

Thank you for all those who reviewed! Namely iamie, TheNewKid25, Harry Draco Malfoy, Han, de orga, mvpsashi, . ., Hunter Hatake and Roxxi Uchiha, horoholikka, chibiginia, Tina Caps and toon.

* * *

It had been three days.

Three days of no sleep. Hanamichi was beginning to look like a raccoon impersonator, with the dark circles under his eyes. He didn't pay attention in class, even at basketball practice because a certain kitsune was not there.

'I wonder if those two are living in marital bliss now. Jerks,' pondered Hanamichi. He shifted restlessly in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position but to no avail. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rukawa's pained expression. He sighed.

'I guess I kind of deserve this…maybe I should call Kaede,' he thought, grabbing the phone. No one was picking up. It annoyed Hanamichi a little. He was ready to talk, but no one was there to listen. Figures. Might as well go to Kaede personally then.

Getting up, he grabbed his jacket and went out of the house.

* * *

_Rukawa Residence_

Rukawa woke to the sound of someone knocking on his front door. He glanced at the clock by his bed. It was 2:14 in the morning. He tried going back to sleep, but the knocking progressed to loud and persistent pounding as the minutes ticked by.

"Who is it?" called out Rukawa groggily.

"It's Hanamichi. Let me in," the redhead implored.

Rukawa immediately opened the door, looking a little peeved. He didn't appreciate anyone busting into his house in the middle of the night, or rather morning, even if it was Hanamichi.

"What are you doing here?" he said gruffly. Sakuragi went past him and sat down on his bed. He knew what he wanted to say a while ago, but now he completely forgot about it. He just looked around Rukawa's room, noting it was bare save for a digital clock and a picture frame facing down on the table.

"You don't personalize your room much do you?" said Hanamichi, trying to break the ice.

Rukawa just crossed his arms and said nothing.

Okay, that didn't work.

Hanamichi tried again. "You haven't been to any of our practices this week."

"Guess so."

"Why?"

"I just felt like it," said Rukawa blandly. It was the same line the redhead uttered a week ago. Hanamichi would've laughed if the situation at the moment wasn't so serious. Trust Kaede to throw it back at him.

"You haven't been eating at the cafeteria either."

"Why do you care?" asked Rukawa coldly.

Hanamichi didn't know how to answer that one. He was running out ideas and Kaede was not making it any easier. He spotted the picture frame again. The neat freak side of him was going crazy over the damn thing.

"I'll fix this for you," said Hanamichi, placing it into an upright position. He couldn't believe what he saw.

It was a picture of him and Rukawa holding the Inter-High Cup. They finally beat Sannoh, the defending champion and the toughest team in the district. He had an arm around the pale boy's shoulders, and both of them were smiling. Rukawa never looked happier.

"Haruko took that," supplied Rukawa. He was embarrassed as hell but managed to keep himself from wrenching the picture away from the redhead.

"It's beautiful," murmured Hanamichi. He couldn't take his eyes off it.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?" said Rukawa, trying to divert the redhead's attention from the photograph.

"I just wanted to talk to you," Hanamichi said quietly.

Rukawa let out a mirthless laugh. "At 2 in the morning. Nice."

Hanamichi's patience was wearing thin. This charade between them had been going on for too long. Rukawa was being an ass, but he really couldn't blame the guy for acting this way. He was determined to set things right again no matter what.

"It's obvious you don't want me here. But I'm not leaving until you hear me out about last Sunday," said Hanamichi, steeling himself.

Rukawa looked away. "Oh. That," he said softly. "Look, you don't have to tell me anything. Your love life is none of my business," he added, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

The situation was going downhill, and fast. Hanamichi knew that there was only one thing left to do. He walked towards Rukawa and kissed him. It took a moment for the other boy to respond, too stunned to do anything. But it wasn't long before Rukawa opened his mouth and started kissing Hanamichi back, with much enthusiasm. Hanamichi groaned and pulled Kaede closer, wanting to taste him better. The kiss left both of them light-headed and panting for air. 'For my first kiss, that was pretty damn good,' Hanamichi thought dazedly. He made a move to kiss Kaede again, but the pale boy sidestepped him. The redhead tossed him a hurt look.

"I thought you already have a boyfriend," Rukawa said softly, averting his eyes. He started moving further away. Hanamichi grabbed his hand.

"Kaede, I don't have a love life and I never had a girlfriend. I know I've been an idiot the whole time we've been together but now I know you're the one I've been looking for all along. Alexi made me realize that," confessed Hanamichi breathlessly.

Rukawa was still not convinced. "Who was the guy kissing you then?" he insisted.

Hanamichi couldn't help but chuckle at Rukawa's apparent jealousy at his older self. "First of all I wasn't kissing anyone. He kissed me. In the cheek. I mean you kissed me in the cheek," he babbled. Rukawa for his part, looked absolutely bewildered.

"Come again?"

Hanamichi heaved a sigh of frustration. He didn't think it was possible to hate his future self so much, but having to explain to Rukawa all of this was enough to garner self-loathing.

"You know that I would never lie to you right?" asked Hanamichi calmly.

Rukawa nodded.

"Alexi is not my cousin. He is me. And the guy you saw last Sunday, he is you. The older you. There. Still with me?"

Rukawa was having a hard time comprehending what the redhead just said. Either Hanamichi was the best liar in the world, or he was the most gullible guy for believing him. Hanamichi noted that his eyes were starting to glaze over.

"It's pretty hard to take in all at once. Even now I still don't understand it," said Hanamichi sheepishly.

"How was it possible?" said Rukawa finally.

"You'll find out in ten years. I reckon time will go by fast," supplied Hanamichi reassuringly.

Rukawa guffawed all of a sudden.

"What's so funny?"

Rukawa was still laughing. "Now I know why you acted weird when your older self said something about losing the Texan accent. That was pretty hilarious," he teased.

Hanamichi blushed. "Shut up. I tend to say dumb things when I panic. Cheeky kitsune."

"I'm just kidding," said Rukawa, kissing his beloved redhead. Both were contented just holding each other for a while.

"I'm glad you're taking this well," yawned Hanamichi. "I can finally sleep. Is it okay if I crash here for a while? I'm too tired to go back to my house," he added apologetically.

"Not at all. Hanamichi…"

"Yeah?"

"What will happen between us in the future anyway?"

Hanamichi froze. He didn't think it was wise to tell, but he didn't want to keep Rukawa hanging again either. 'Besides, he's technically my fiancée anyway,' he thought, highly amused. Fate is pretty funny sometimes.

"We'll get married someday. Fancy that," he said carefully. He waited for Rukawa's reaction.

"Oh," was all Rukawa could say, but Hanamichi could tell he was thrilled. He beamed.

"I didn't get to ask myself who proposed. I bet you did," said Hanamichi smugly.

Rukawa pretended to be offended. "Do'aho. What will you wager then?"

"I'll think about it," Hanamichi said sleepily. He vaguely registered Rukawa leading him to his bed and covering him with a blanket.

"And Kaede?

"Yes Hana?"

"I'll be looking forward to it," smiled Hanamichi, remembering the two identical rings.

His life from now on would never be monotonous again.

* * *

The End.

Merry Christmas everybody! Cheers!


End file.
